Food stamp benefits for Tennesseans will drop in November

NASHVILLE — The buying power of food stamps for the more than 1.3 million Tennesseans who receive them drops next month when enhanced benefits that began 4½ years ago under the federal economic stimulus act come to an end.

The state Department of Human Services said Monday that a family of four receiving the maximum allowable monthly benefit will see a $36 decrease, or 5.4 percent, in their November allotment — to $632.

That's the maximum monthly benefit. The average monthly allotment for the 133,311 Shelby County households (covering 266,684 people) enrolled in the program in September was $285.

DHS began notifying recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, of the impending reduction in September. The reduced benefits will be posted to their EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards with their November allotments, from Nov. 1 through Nov. 20.

Congress approved President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in early 2009. It included temporary increases for SNAP recipients, to help low-income families and food retailers hit by the recession. The enhancements for food stamps began in April 2009, and have been phasing out nationwide. They fully expire next month.

Statewide, 1,334,178 people in 660,818 households received SNAP benefits averaging $267 per household in September. The maximum net monthly income to qualify for the program is $1,293 for a two-person household, $1,628 for three, $1,963 for four, ranging up to $3,973 a month for a 10-person household.

The reduction averages about 5.4 to 5.6 percent. The maximum allotment for a 2-person household drops from $367 this month to $347 in November and from $526 for a 3-person household to $497.

The SNAP program, commonly known as food stamps before the advent of EBT cards, is fully funded by the federal government but administered by the states. DHS administers the program in Tennessee.